Amulet #11 - The Orb

Prompt: Use the phrase "This is your last chance".

She was bidden to follow, and she did. The tiny creature had spoken, and in her mind she heard two voices - one of serpent-speak, and the other of a small boy. In a way, it was strange to hear the voices and understand at once.

Her tail was now long and slender. It dragged behind her on the cold floor while the group made their way to a room full of chairs. Each of them sat around a great table with yellow eyes upon one another. Though the scene was surreal, she couldn't smell any fear in the air around her.

"First contact," a disembodied voice said. At once, the center of the table opened to reveal a black orb. The sphere raised itself upward and continued. "This is what humans have called it."

"I wanted to apologize," the girl blurted out. "I never meant to--"

"It was a mistake of our own making," the orb said. "We wish to come to your world, but it is clear that they are not prepared."

The girl felt guilty. She stared at the device and listened.

"We needed humans who could understand our intentions. Your kind desires to hate, and you fear change," the orb continued. "We saved your lives in hopes that you would return the favor."

"How did you save us?" the girl asked. The others looked toward her. "I was in no danger."

"They never told ya, miss?" the boy asked. She looked toward him in confusion. "We were dying - all of us. They changed us to cure our sickness."

"Sickness?"

"I had cancer, miss."

The girl's eyes widened in surprise, and she looked back to the orb as it spoke again. "If you desire, we can undo your treatments. Know, however, that this is your last chance."